Government

Complaint against WA Rep. Tarra Simmons alleges misuse of $30,000 in campaign funds

It’s the third ethics complaint filed against her in recent months

Environment

Oregon town to test river where wood treater sent polluted stormwater

Stella-Jones, a wood treater fined $1 million by state regulators, is appealing the penalty

State of Democracy

Washington scrambles to regulate license-plate cameras that could aid stalkers

As lawmakers debate how to rein in these cameras, sheriffs, civil rights groups and transparency advocates are clashing over how much access is too much

Domestic Violence

WA crime victim orgs call for state help as falling federal funding has them at a ‘breaking point’

Nonprofits say temporary state dollars haven’t been enough to stave off cuts to sexual abuse and domestic violence programs

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Government

HUD says homeless services program overhaul on pause after federal injunction

Newsroom Announcements

InvestigateWest secures $250,000 gift as the newsroom expands across the Northwest

Labor

A Starlink lab exposed unsuspecting workers to toxic chemicals. Records show SpaceX didn't act until the state got involved

Newsroom Announcements

InvestigateWest lands $450,000 grant from Inatai Foundation

Year in Review

Unchecked prison sex abuse, Christian nationalist influence and police welcoming ICE — a year of investigative reporting in Idaho

More news

New WA law makes clergy mandatory reporters of child abuse

Bill proposed in response to InvestigateWest article makes no exemptions for allegations shared during confessions

How InvestigateWest sparks change

Feds open investigation into Idaho anti-trafficking nonprofit after InvestigateWest exposes potential fraud

Investigative reporting prompts action from oversight agency and attorney general as accusations of fraud and exploitation mount

Our record of excellence

Guarded by Predators

Idaho’s efforts to confront prison sexual abuse hampered by Trump cuts

Cuts to Prison Rape Elimination Act Resource Center result in less state support for training, guidance and grants

Guarded by Predators

Idaho prison system calls for strengthened sexual abuse law in response to InvestigateWest series

Guarded by Predators

Idaho prison system reopens sexual abuse case, reverses finding after InvestigateWest reporting

Guarded by Predators

7 reforms Idaho could make to address sexual abuse by prison staff

More Guarded by Predators

Immigration

Idaho immigrants detained in raid moved far from home — and from their attorneys

Immigration

Help us investigate how Trump’s immigration orders are impacting the Pacific Northwest

Immigration

Ukrainian immigrants becoming collateral damage in Trump administration’s immigration war

Immigration

Local officials aren’t concerned about accusations of racism against an Idaho sheriff, despite calls for accountability

More Immigration

Criminal Justice

Budget cuts threaten Oregon program for helping people get jobs after prison

Criminal Justice

‘Make it make sense’: Advocates stunned as WA lawmaker helps slash funds for groups clearing old drug convictions

Criminal Justice

How a WA prison turned a treatable ailment into a death sentence

Criminal Justice

Allegations of sex abuse, misused church dollars against WA priest divide parish

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Government

Oregon promised better access to doulas and lactation care. Birth workers say they still can’t get paid

A new law is aimed at supporting doula and lactation workers, but many say the success of those reforms depends on whether the state can fix persistent payment problems

State of Democracy

Washington scrambles to regulate license-plate cameras that could aid stalkers

As lawmakers debate how to rein in these cameras, sheriffs, civil rights groups and transparency advocates are clashing over how much access is too much

State of Democracy

Idaho’s latest anti-drag crusade began with a falsehood, lawsuit says

Idaho Family Policy Center president Blaine Conzatti discusses his efforts to end abortion in Idaho on an episode of pastor

State of Democracy

For and by Christians: How Idaho’s influential Christian Nationalist group wants to reshape the state

Department of Homeland Security officers deploy crowd control munitions, including tear gas, at a demonstration outside the

State of Democracy

Bullies or demonstrators? How court records are describing Portland’s ICE protests

More State of Democracy

Public Health

Despite laws against it, some cosmetic surgeons are still banning negative reviews

Public Health

Allegations against Washington gender-affirming surgeon stir fears of backlash for trans patients

Public Health

Pregnant Oregonians need more addiction and mental health support — but the state’s network is fragile

Public Health

Oregon abandons Medicaid expansion for people leaving prison, months after delaying launch

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Indigenous Affairs

Most children charged as adults in Washington are youth of color

Indigenous Affairs

Native American kids less likely than others in WA to be offered second chance in juvenile court, data shows

Indigenous Affairs

Native American children significantly more likely to be arrested, detained in Washington

Indigenous Affairs

Northwest Native Nations could lose hundreds of millions in federal funding, report says

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Climate

Developers’ tree-cutting pace surges under contested Seattle tree protection ordinance

Mayor Harrell promised law would get Seattle “back on track,” but new street-tree planting data raises doubts

Climate

In wildfire-prone Washington, ‘collaboration’ on forest management gives way to timber interests

Sandy Shettler, from Tree Action Seattle, speaks to a crowd in February 2024 in front of Astra, a 100-year-old Western Red

Climate

Seattle claims to ‘protect’ hundreds of trees that were never threatened

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality will being recreating a key program meant to reduce the state’s overall

Climate

Oregon begins rewriting landmark climate program derailed by gas lawsuit

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Human Trafficking

Hannah Power was commercially sexually exploited by a man she met on Tinder when she was a minor, she said.

Human Trafficking

Seattle-area man who allegedly trawled dating sites for victims charged with sex trafficking

Jay is within a minority of sexual assault survivors whose abusers are held criminally accountable. But the plea deal that

Human Trafficking

King County woman’s chance to testify lost as prosecutors opt for plea deal, raising concerns about justice in sexual assault cases

Hannah Power, a survivor of what the police suspect to be child sex trafficking, looks out over the Puget Sound by her home

Human Trafficking

A Washington teen was trafficked by a man she met on Tinder, she says. Two years later, she’s still waiting for justice.

The number of people convicted for sex trafficking in Washington and Oregon has remained low over the last decade as

Human Trafficking

New WA legislation prioritizes human trafficking prosecutions and support for child victims

More Human Trafficking

Daniel Walters is the democracy and extremism reporter at InvestigateWest, where he’s written about everything from brawls involving white nationalists in Portland to secretly recorded conversations between politicians and lobbyists in Boise. He joined the organization through Report for America.

Danielle Dawson is a collaborative investigative reporter and Report for America corps member for InvestigateWest, covering eastern and central Oregon.

Jacob Fries is InvestigateWest’s executive director. A lifelong journalist, he’s spent his career mentoring reporters, forging media partnerships and managing deep-dive investigations that exposed injustice and changed laws.

Kaylee Tornay is InvestigateWest's reporter covering labor, youth and health care. A reporter since 2017, she has dedicated herself to rigorous, revelatory journalism that scrutinizes power and equips local communities with knowledge they can use.

Kelsey Turner is an investigative reporter at InvestigateWest. Her reporting has stretched from her home state of New Jersey to Illinois, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

Lynnie McIlvain is a creative revenue development professional with a track record of securing six-figure government grants and strong competence in annual and major gifts.

Melanie Henshaw is the Indigenous affairs reporter at InvestigateWest. She covers Indigenous communities in the region, including coverage of tribal sovereignty, health care and the environment.

Moe K. Clark is a collaborative investigative reporter covering Washington state for InvestigateWest. Her position is supported by the Murrow News Fellowship, an initiative of Washington State University which aims to bolster coverage of civic issues in underserved communities around the state.

Rachel Spacek is an investigative reporter covering migrant labor for InvestigateWest through Report for America. She is based in Boise and has covered Latino affairs in Idaho for the last five years.

Thy Vo is an investigative editor with InvestigateWest. She has been a community journalist covering government, politics, courts and immigrant communities in the West for nearly a decade.

Whitney Bryen reports on injustice and vulnerable populations for InvestigateWest. A journalist since 2010, she is dedicated to raising marginalized voices and holding power to account especially at the intersection of mental health and criminal justice.

Wilson Criscione is InvestigateWest’s news and investigations editor. He’s spent more than a decade reporting and supervising major investigations that uncover corruption, misconduct and injustice in the Pacific Northwest.

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